Again, Presidency Rejects Claims Gbajabiamila Appointed Fake Council DG

The Presidency has, once again, dismissed claims that the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, appointed one Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew as director-general of a purported Presidential Economic Advisory Council, insisting that the agency was fictitious and that Adeyemi was facing criminal charges over alleged forgery, impersonation and obtaining by false pretence.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said the Office of the Chief of Staff first exposed the existence of the illegal agency after officials of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC) complained that another government agency appeared to be operating at cross-purposes with it.

According to the statement, Gbajabiamila, on October 17, 2025, petitioned the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) to investigate the activities of “fraudsters and imposters” allegedly forging appointment letters purportedly issued from his office.

In the petition, the Chief of Staff said his office had been alerted to the activities of individuals and groups engaged in forging official appointment letters bearing falsified signatures, reference numbers and official seals, which were allegedly used to claim leadership appointments to non-existent entities, particularly the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council.

He stated that the entity, purportedly headed by Adeyemi as director-general, operated from an office at the Federal Secretariat Complex, Phase III, Abuja, where its members purportedly held meetings with Nigerians and foreigners and even requested a note verbale from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the United States of America to facilitate visas for some of their staff.

“The attention of this office has been drawn to the activities of certain individuals and groups engaged in the forgery of official appointment letters purportedly issued from my office. The fake documents… have been used to claim leadership appointments to non-existent entities,” the petition omplained.

Gbajabiamila described the development as a serious criminal act that undermined the integrity of the Presidency and the credibility of official government communication, urging the security agencies to conduct a thorough investigation, identify those involved and uncover the network behind the alleged forgery.

Onanuga’s statement noted that the petition was accompanied by a copy of the alleged forged appointment letter, a copy of the request for a note verbale to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and photographs of engagements obtained from the illegal agency’s website.

It added that around the same period the Chief of Staff lodged his complaint, the existence of the purported agency had also raised concerns within the Foreign Affairs Ministry.

According to the Presidency, on October 15, 2025, the ministry wrote to the Office of the National Security Adviser and the Office of the Chief of Staff seeking clarification on the status of Adeyemi’s agency after he reportedly held a meeting with ambassadors at the Wells Carlton Hotel and Apartments, Asokoro, on October 10 without recourse to the ministry.

The letter, signed by Ambassador Anderson Madubuike, stated that the action contravened extant rules and regulations guiding diplomatic practice globally.

On October 20, the Office of the National Security Adviser forwarded the ministry’s request to the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF), while on October 29 the OSGF sought clarification from the Chief of Staff, saying the request had become necessary because of enquiries from government and non-government organisations seeking confirmation of the purported appointment.

The Presidency said Gbajabiamila had, two days earlier, already informed the Foreign Affairs Ministry that he never issued any appointment letter to Adeyemi as director-general of the purported Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council.

It maintained that the Chief of Staff could not have issued an appointment to a non-existent agency and noted that appointments and appointment letters are the exclusive responsibility of the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.

On November 5, 2025, Gbajabiamila again wrote to the OSGF, denying any knowledge of Adeyemi or the said said non-existent council.

“Prince Adeniyi Matthew, director-general of the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council, is unknown to any office, nor do we have any dealings with the said council.

“My attention was drawn to a letter of this purported application, which is fake, and my office has instructed the police and other relevant security agencies to carry out investigations on the person and the entity he claims to represent,” the President’s top aide stated.

The statement said the police had already begun investigations following the Chief of Staff’s October 17 petition and arrested Adeyemi on October 27, 2025, at the Federal Secretariat office in Abuja where he allegedly operated the scheme.

Police subsequently searched the office and Adeyemi’s residence in Suleja, recovering documents and other exhibits.

According to the statement, Adeyemi told investigators that one Dolapo Babatunde Tanimola assisted him in procuring the alleged fake appointment letter. Acting on the claim, the police searched for Tanimola but discovered that he had died in a fire incident at Kachi Hotel in Abuja on October 22, five days before Adeyemi’s arrest. Police reportedly confirmed his death after seeing his body at the morgue.

The Presidency said police investigations established that the agency Adeyemi purportedly headed was fictitious, that he allegedly forged his appointment letter and other documents recovered from his office and home, falsely paraded himself as a government appointee and falsely solicited a note verbale from the Foreign Affairs Ministry to enable himself and members of his organisation obtain United States visas.

Investigators also reportedly found that Adeyemi operated 34 bank accounts, including nine opened in the names of fictitious organisations identified as the FCT Investment Promotion Agency, the Public Private Partnership (FIPA-APP) and the FCT Investment Promotion Act.

The statement further said the police established that Adeyemi used the alleged forged documents to fraudulently open a Central Bank of Nigeria account by misleading the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, adding that no government funds were transferred into the account.

Quoting the police report prepared by Assistant Commissioner Kabir Mogaji, the statement said: “The act of the suspect constitutes criminal forgery, impersonation and obtaining by false pretence, thereby bringing the office of the Chief of Staff to the President and the Presidency to disrepute before the public and international community.”

The Presidency said that based on the investigation, the police filed an eight-count charge before the Federal High Court in Abuja against Adeyemi and two alleged accomplices on November 27, 2025. The case is scheduled for hearing on July 27.

It noted that although Adeyemi was on police bail, he recently claimed that the Chief of Staff appointed him as director-general of the fictitious agency, a claim the Presidency said contradicted the statement he made to the police in November 2025.

According to the statement, the fresh claim prompted Gbajabiamila to issue another disclaimer on June 8, reiterating earlier advisories that Adeyemi is an impostor.

The Presidency also alleged that Adeyemi had a history of fraudulent misrepresentation, recalling that in November 2016 he presented himself as ambassador and president-general of the World Youth Organisation (WYO), which he claimed was affiliated with the United Nations and that he had been elected in New Delhi, India.

It said the local media initially celebrated the claim until the United Nations denied the existence of such an organisation.

The Presidency urged politicians and members of the public not to weaponise Adeyemi’s allegations against the Chief of Staff, advising them to await the trial of Adeyemi and his alleged accomplices as well as the court’s judgment since the matter is already before the court.

“Politicians and members of the public who are weaponising Adeyemi’s claim against the Chief of Staff should refrain from swallowing his narrative hook, line and sinker. They are advised to await the trial of Adeyemi and his accomplices, as well as the court’s judgement, as comments made today are sub judice.”